High Street stores slash prices by up to 70pc in spring sales spree

Friday 6 April 2007 23:07 BST

The sales are on and shoppers are set to flood the High Streets over the Bank Holiday

The sun might be shining, but many of us won't be outside to appreciate it.

High Street stores and garden centres are expecting to sell a record £10.6billion of goods over the four-day break, luring in shoppers by offering discounts of up to 70 per cent on clothes, garden furniture and electrical goods.

Retailers hope that a combination of warm weather and the school holidays will tempt Britons to splash out on an impulse fashion buy or something for the garden.

The mood was set this week in London's Oxford Street, where the opening of Primark's new flagship store caused a stampede.

Around 3,000 bargain-hunters started queuing at 2am the night before to get their hands on dresses for as little as £6 and tops for £4.

But the cut-price chain wasn't the only one offering big reductions. Marks & Spencer is selling some women's swimsuits for as little as £1 under a so-called manager's special offer in order to shift stock.

Gap had racks of men's casual jackets down from £228 to £99 and House of Fraser has up to 50 per cent off some furniture lines - with an extra 10 per cent off this weekend.

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Discounts of 50 per cent and more are being advertised by Debenhams, Argos, H&M, Burtons and others. The big DIY chains have deals on many barbecues and patio sets.

But anyone venturing to the supermarket or a large garden centre on Easter Sunday will be disappointed, as trading laws prevent any store of over 3,000 square feet from opening that day.

The restrictions have upset business leaders who believe the right to shop should take precedence over religious observance.

David Ramsden, chairman of the pressure group My Sunday My Choice, said: "Why is it always the consumer that suffers from unnecessary legislation?"

Andrew Maxted of the Horticultural Trades Association added: "We are concerned that once again Easter Sunday will result in many disappointed customers.

"The total closure of garden centres on Easter Sunday always comes as a surprise to large numbers of potential customers, who find their plans for the day completely thwarted."

The British Retail Consortium predicts that £7.8billion will be spent in the shops over Easter, which is a rise of 4 per cent on last year.

Other analysts believe the final figure will be nearer £10.6billion, once spending on extras such as eating out and day trips is included.

The consortium's director general, Kevin Hawkins, said: "Easter generally marks the end of the toughest quarter in the retail calendar.

"After using the first few months in the New Year to service post-Christmas debt and consolidate savings, consumers tend to feel a bit more relaxed about splashing out over Easter.

"Easter isn't just a good time for confectioners and stationers.

"The four-day break provides plenty of shopping opportunities and, with good weather, we expect to see summer clothing and footwear lines start to move well.

"Easter is also the unofficial start to the DIY and gardening season and a lot of us will be looking to make a start on all those jobs we've been putting off over winter, particularly if we get three or four days of sunshine."

It is suggested that as many as 9million people will visit DIY stores and garden centres over the break, spending £2.9billion.

Economist Jaspreet Sehmi of the Centre for Economics and Business Research predicted an Easter blow-out.

He said: "UK retailers had a weak start to the year. The combination of higher disposable incomes, record temperatures, the end of the post-Christmas squeeze and the feelgood factor from a strong housing market are likely, on our calculations, to make this Easter a shopping bonanza.

"This should help to ease disappointment at the inability to open up shop on Easter Sunday and leave retailers with a wide smile when cashing up at the end of the weekend."

He estimates that shoppers will spend £661million on clothes and footwear, another £219million on furniture and lighting, £ 83million on alcohol and tobacco and £214million on DIY supplies such as paint.

The British Retail Consortium suggested we will spend £3.1billion on food and drink for home consumption - about £100 million more than last year.

Retail bosses say that scrapping the Easter Sunday store opening ban would mean even more spending over the holiday break.

But Trade Secretary Alistair Darling ruled out scrapping the controls last summer following lobbying by unions, church leaders and family groups.